Report: AMD working to boost Zacate, Ontario supply

AMD's first Fusion accelerated processing units are apparently proving popular—so much so that, according to DigiTimes, AMD is working with TSMC to increase production of the chips in order to address tight supply in the United States and Europe.

Basing itself on a story by Taiwan's Commercial Times, DigiTimes says AMD wants to secure "all new capacity from TSMC's 12-inch fab, Fab 14's phase 4 facilities to solve the shortage issue." AMD's efforts aren't just aimed at keeping chips flowing to the U.S. and Europe. Reportedly, the chipmaker also intends to push its Fusion APUs in China next month, which may well require extra capacity.

As frustrating as shortages can be for consumers, the shortage is likely caused by strong demand, which sounds like good news from AMD's perspective. That good news isn't undeserved, of course. As we've seen in our successive looks at the Brazos platform—first in pre-release form, then in a $330 Acer netbook, and finally on the desktop—the new AMD APUs can spar with both Atoms and entry-level Consumer Ultra-Low-Voltage processors, offering solid integrated graphics and great battery life to boot.